


The Voice and the Vessel: What If?

by VanillaGiddyup



Series: The Voice and the Vessel [2]
Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 13:16:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16119248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaGiddyup/pseuds/VanillaGiddyup
Summary: What if Robin had made the other choice at the end?





	The Voice and the Vessel: What If?

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Voice and The Vessel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12428847) by [VanillaGiddyup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaGiddyup/pseuds/VanillaGiddyup). 



I opened my eyes and saw the sun high in the sky above me. It, as always, shone brightly, entirely unconcerned with the fact that the human race had just fought for its very survival below it. I looked around as best as I could and saw that no one else had yet recovered from the battle that had taken place. I was a dragon, so that was likely the reason. I hoped they would recover soon, but I had more pressing issues at hand.

With great effort I pushed myself up to a sitting position. In front of me I saw the grassy plains of the island and the sea in the distance. They were a beautiful sight, and even more so now that they were in a world at peace, but I could not focus on them.

Grima had been defeated. That much was clear, else I would not have found myself on the ground. I had known we would emerge victorious. Even though I had been struck down by his attack I had the utmost faith in Chrom and in my beloved. I knew they would succeed, and they had.

I turned around and I saw two men in the distance. One of them was Chrom. He was flat on his face and appeared to be stirring, though it was impossible to tell from where I sat. The other was Robin. He was on his back and he was not moving at all. I found that I could not stand, so I began to crawl slowly towards him. It felt as though he was on the other side of the world. I started to call out to him as I drew closer. He did not answer me.

After what felt like an eternity I finally reached him. My heart sank. He had a grievous wound in his stomach. He was bleeding and it appeared he would not live. I began to call desperately for a healer. I prayed he would live long enough for help to arrive. I shouted and shouted, but no help came. Chrom did not even stir next to me.

"T-Tiki?" My heart threatened to sink even further. It was Robin speaking, but something was wrong. His voice was weak and...somehow hollow. As if he was not truly present and was only speaking from a great distance.

"Robin!" I took his hand. Something about it was wrong as well. It was too rough. Too cold.

"I-is that...r-really you?"

"Of course it is," I said, "for who else would it be?"

"You...I c-can't...believe...you're...still alive..."

"Of course I am. You saved the world. You have done it. The Fell Dragon is sealed away." He frowned, which clearly took him a great amount of effort.

"You don't...I'm not...that...Robin." I blinked in surprise and reflexively let go of his hand.

"Wh-what?"

"I'm...the other...the evil one..." His eyes filled with tears. "So...sorry..." I looked around. He was the only Robin here. And yet he claimed to be the fallen Robin. The evidence was right in front of me. His hands. His voice. His injury. The avatar had not used a sword, and his wound was clearly from a sword. This was the other Robin.

But then...where was my Robin?

No, it could not be. He had promised me. He had to be somewhere nearby. I had simply not seen him.

"Tiki..." I was brought back to myself at the other Robin's words. "So...sorry...for every...thing. All...my fault."

"It was the Fell Dragon, not you," I said. I should have hated this evil Robin, and yet I found that I could not bring myself to do so. He had fallen, yes. He, or at least his body, had caused untold pain. And yet, he was still Robin. He clearly knew me. It was likely that he had given himself to Grima for immortality for my sake. He assumed I was dead. It was probable that, in his world, I had fallen when I had seen what happened to him.

"No...all...my fault...sorry." He closed his eyes and I saw his breathing slow. There was nothing I could do for him. I took his hand again and I heard him sigh. Moments later his breathing stopped. He was gone. I looked around again and panic began to set in. Where was he? Why could I not see him? I felt tears begin to form in my eyes as I became more desperate.

"Robin! Robin, where are you? Robin!" I called his name over and over, but there was no response. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and noticed that Chrom was beginning to wake. I crawled over to him as he opened his eyes and looked up at me.

"Lady Tiki," he said in a tired voice, "I'm glad to see you're alive." I took hold of his arm and pulled him to a sitting position.

"Chrom...where is Robin?" He looked around but did not answer. I gripped him more tightly. "Where is Robin?" I asked again. It was becoming difficult to speak.

"Tiki..." he said. His voice told me everything. I took hold of his shoulders as tears flowed down my face.

"Where is Robin?!" I shouted. "Where is he?!" I already knew. It was written all over his face.

"Tiki...I'm...I'm so sorry." His voice was gentle, but it only made me angrier.

"You said you would protect him! You told me you would make sure he lived! Where is Robin?!" I was nearly screaming. He looked away and I saw him blink away tears of his own. I did not care. He had betrayed me. He had promised me that Robin would remain alive, and he had betrayed me. He had allowed Robin to destroy Grima at the cost of his own life. He had betrayed me.

I wanted to kill him.

"Mom!" I was brought back to myself by Morgan's voice. I heard her running behind me and moments later I felt her embrace me. I let go of Chrom and sank backwards against her. "Mom...where's...where's dad?"

"He...I'm sorry," said Chrom. "I'm so sorry."

"Wh-what? No...no he can't..."

"He...asked me to tell you...that...he loves you both. And that he was...was thinking of you...until...until..." He could not finish.

"He's not...he can't really be...mom?" I turned around and saw that Morgan's eyes were wet. I threw my arms around her and pulled her into an embrace. She began to sob into my shoulder. He was...he was gone. He had...destroyed Grima. The world was safe. The world would be forever safe.

And all it had cost was his life.

Far away I heard the sounds of the others as they began to rouse. I felt Chrom place his hand on my shoulder. None of it mattered. My husband—my Robin—had been taken from me. He was gone. I could try to have faith that he would somehow return—somehow find his way back to me—but as my mother had said, the possibility was so remote that it was little more than a fool's hope. He was gone. All I had left was Morgan. I loved Morgan with all my heart, but she was not Robin. Never again would I share his bed. Never again would I feel his arms around me. Never again would I receive his tender kisses. Never again would I hear him tell me he loved me.

He was gone.

I heard someone approach. I did not open my eyes to see who it was. I heard voices, but I did not listen to them. I only barely recognized that the voice belonged to Lissa. I felt her hand against my back and then her voice was in my ear. It was gentle and filled with sorrow.

"Tiki, I'm so sorry." I could not answer her. All I could do was lean against my daughter and weep. She was all I had left. She was the only reminder that he had lived. That he had been real.

Which of the gods had chosen to do this to me? To give me hope that I might be allowed to live my life with the man I loved, only to snatch that hope away in the cruelest manner? Who had I displeased so greatly? What had I done? Why did it have to be him?

I heard voices around me, but I did not open my eyes. It was likely that my comrades had gathered and were beginning to realize what was happening. I did not care. So what if they all cared for him? They did not love him like I did. None of them had lost someone like I had.

"Tiki," said Lissa gently, "we should leave. It's...it's time to...to go home."

"Then...go," I said. Even those two short words were nearly impossible to say.

"You...really shouldn't...stay here," she said. It sounded as if she was having difficulty speaking as well.

"Leave," I said, "I...do not care. Leave this place."

"She's...right, mom," said Morgan. "We can't...we can't stay here forever."

"I do not care," I said. "Leave with them. I do not care."

"Mom..."

"Go!" I said more loudly. "Go and leave me behind! I do not care!" It did not matter if I left. I would never truly leave this island. I would never be whole again. I had given so much of myself to him, and he was gone. He was gone and he had taken that part of me with him. I...I had not even been allowed to say goodbye.

"Mom..." she sounded heartbroken, and not just for her father. I felt my face burn. She was my daughter. I had no right to speak to her in such a way.

"I...I am sorry," I said quietly. "I...should not say such things."

"I...understand, mom," she said. "I'm...oh, mom..." She held me more tightly and I heard her begin to sob again. The voices around me quieted and I heard the sounds of movement. I assumed they were leaving to return to the ship, though I never felt Lissa or Chrom remove their hands from my shoulders.

I did not know how long we remained in that position, I only knew that I was there long enough that my knees grew stiff and painful. I was forced to stand when it became too much to bear. I finally opened my eyes and looked around. The four of us were the only ones who remained. Someone had moved the body of the avatar as well, perhaps because they thought it would be too difficult for me to look at it.

"Go," I said to the others. "Return to the ship. I will follow soon." They did not contest me, not even Morgan. I watched them walk slowly away until they reached the bottom of the incline that led to the beach. Once they were gone I turned back to look at the shrine. I did not walk to it, but I still called out to my mother. She appeared above me.

"I...have no words of comfort for you," she said. "I have known your pain. There are no words I can speak to ease it."

"I know," I said flatly. "I am not looking for comfort. I want to know if you are happy. He has destroyed your eternal foe and now he is no longer with me. You have gotten everything you wanted, and I have gotten nothing. Are you satisfied?" My mother appeared troubled.

"No. Daughter, you may not believe me, but I wish for your happiness. I am not pleased at the way this has ended. I saw how happy you were with him. I wanted you to remain so."

"I do not believe you," I said, "for if you truly wished for him to remain alive you would have said so. You did not, so I can only conclude that you wished for him to die."

"Daughter, I—"

"I am leaving," I said over her. "You will never see me again." I turned and began to walk away.

"Is there no way to dissuade you?" I stopped, looked at the ground, and balled my hands into fists.

"...Return him to life." I continued walking and ignored her response. It did not matter to me that I was abdicating my duty. She had been the one to tell him that he could destroy Grima. She did not have to do so. She could have told him not to do it himself. She did not. She wanted him dead. She wanted him away from me. It was as much her fault as any other. If this was how she thought of me then she could find someone else to assume her role. I was not some child's toy for her to do with as she wished.

I reached the ship and saw that Morgan was waiting for me. She did not say anything, but she offered me her hand. I took it and we boarded. The captain cast off and Morgan led me below the deck and to the quartermaster's cabin. Seeing it brought a fresh wave of tears to my eyes as I remembered the first night I spent in it. I was not sure Morgan even realized what this room meant to me. She simply led me to the bed and embraced me. No one disturbed us for the entire journey.

* * *

Weeks passed as if in the blink of an eye. I busied myself with the efforts of rebuilding the damage wrought by the Fell Dragon's followers in an effort to distract myself. It failed. I often found that I would stop my work to shed more tears over the smallest reminders of the man I had lost. Many of them were things that should have not caused me pain, but they did.

The simplest things would bring him to mind. A word spoken that he particularly enjoyed using. A serving of a food we would normally share. The sight of a tree we had napped beneath. Even if ever I noticed the sort of bird that was his namesake it would bring his face into my mind and I would cry for him. Sometimes I would even cry out for him.

Nights were impossible. I would lie in bed and find myself unable to sleep. I would try to close my eyes and imagine that he was there, but it would only become worse. My bed—the bed we had so often shared—was too cold without him. I found that I simply could no longer sleep, though time seemed to pass quickly regardless.

Chrom continued to insist that he would return to us. Even Lissa would assure me that she knew he was still out there waiting for us to find him. I knew it was a fool's hope, and yet I often found myself wishing that it was true. I wanted him back. Even though we had been together for such a short time, I felt so empty without him. Day and night I ached for him. I wanted one more moment, just one. One more touch. One more kiss. One more word. I wanted him back.

A full year went by and still I could not sleep. My movements were slowed. My eyes were always heavy with fatigue. Many times I would simply not get out of bed as I desperately begged for sleep to take me. It never did. I began to join the search parties that were sent out to look for him. It was my last, desperate hope. All I wanted was to see him again.

One day I was with Chrom and Lissa on a search when my wish was finally fulfilled. We were searching in the field where they said he had first appeared to them. It was, by my count, exactly a year to the day since he had disappeared. I was lagging behind them because I was so tired when I heard Lissa call out. Chrom rushed ahead and I followed as quickly as I could. As I reached where they were standing I saw him and my heart leapt.

It was him. It was truly him.

"I see you're awake now," said Chrom.

"Hey there!" said Lissa. I kept moving forward, but it felt as though I was not getting any closer.

"There are better places for a nap than on the ground, you know," said Chrom. I saw him offer a hand. "Give me your hand." He helped Robin to his feet. "Welcome back." I felt an ache in my chest as I heard him speak.

"Thanks. Not sure how I got here," he said. I finally reached him.

"Robin!" I threw my arms around him and nearly knocked him to the ground. "Oh heavens above, Robin, I thought I would never see you again. Oh, Robin. Oh, my Robin. I can hardly believe you have returned to me."

"Oh! Umm...thank you," he said. Something was wrong. I let go of him to look at him and saw confusion in his expression. "Listen...you seem like a kind woman and all, and I definitely appricate the warm welcome, so I hope you'll forgive me for asking you this, but...who are you?" My heart sank and I felt tears forming.

"Do you...truly not remember me?" He frowned and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said, "you clearly know me so I wish I could say yes, but...I don't."

"Do you remember me?" asked Lissa. She sounded upset as well.

"No, sorry. I remember...running. I...was being chased." He was being evasive, but I knew the reason.

"A member of Grima's faithful tried to capture you and you killed him and ran away," I said. He blinked in surprise. It was likely that he had not said anything about it because he was trying to hide his past from them.

"That's...how did you know?"

"Because you told me," I said. I held up my left hand to show him the ring on my finger. "Robin, I...I am your betrothed. A year ago we fought and destroyed Grima and you...disappeared. I thought..." I lost my composure and threw my arms around him again. "Oh, my Robin, I thought you were dead." I began to weep into his shoulder. To my surprise, I felt him embrace me.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I wish I remembered you and I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm here now."

"In case you wanted to ask," said Lissa, "it's true. You two were so cute together and you did everything together and you have the cutest daughter and we're so happy you're back and...gods, Robin, I'm so glad you're alive."

"You seem like good people," he said, "so I...hope I can believe you. And hopefully I'll even get my memories back."

"You will," I said. "I know it."

"I hope so," he said, "but even if I don't it's okay."

"I know. You have returned to me. I will love you whether your memory returns or not."

"That...makes me very happy," he said. "I must be the luckiest man alive."

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

"Because," he said, "if what you're saying is true, I get to fall in love with you all over again."

* * *

In what felt like the twinkling of an eye sixty years had passed and I was sitting next to Robin as he rested in bed. He was smiling at me, though he looked tired and worn. It was not fair. He was not even a century old and he was so weak. He placed his hand on my cheek and I placed my hand on his. I felt myself start to cry.

"Don't...don't cry," he said. "You should...be happy."

"Oh, Robin..."

"You still look...so beautiful," he said. "You...shouldn't cry."

"Oh, beloved..." It was not fair. He was so young. We had been given so little time together.

"Be happy," he said. "That's all I want for you. Just...be happy."

"Do not leave me..."

"You have...our children." He coughed. His voice was becoming weaker. "I'll...be waiting for you. But please...don't cry." It was a request I could not fulfill. I closed my eyes and wept in earnest as I realized that I was about to lose him.

"Oh, Robin..."

"Oh, Tiki...Tiki...Tiki..." His voice suddenly became stronger and his hold on my cheek became more firm. "Tiki! Tiki, wake up!" My eyes snapped open and I saw Robin in front of me, as young as he ever was. It was difficult to see his features in the moonlight, but I could tell that he was worried.

"R-Robin?" I said in confusion.

"Tiki, what's wrong?" he asked. "You were crying in your sleep and you kept saying my name."

"Oh, beloved," I said as I hugged myself to him in desperation. "I...I had the most terrible nightmare." He began to kiss me gently. Though it had been less than one night, because of my dream if felt as though it had been years since he had done so.

"It's okay," he said, "it's okay. It was just a nightmare. I'm right here." There was so much love in his voice. It made me cry even more. He began to stroke my hair. "Shh. Oh, dearest, I'm so sorry. It's okay now." He held me to his bare chest as I wept. Thank the heavens it was a nightmare. He was here. He was young. Chrom had sealed Grima. We were in our marital home.

It took me several minutes to calm down. I knew that he would not care. He continued to hold me and whisper gentle reassurances to me. It made it even harder to regain my composure when I heard him speak. To know that I was so loved by this man who was holding me and who would continue to hold me for thousands of years was so unbelievably comforting.

"I...I dreamt that you were the one who killed Grima," I said in a somewhat shaky voice. "You...vanished. Then you returned to me with no memory. Then you grew old and you...you...oh, Robin..." I felt him kiss my forehead. He brought my face up to his and kissed my lips, then rested his forehead against mine.

"It's okay," he said. "It was just a nightmare. I'm right here and that isn't how it happened."

"I...I know. I'm so glad it was simply a dream. Please, Robin, I beg you...never leave me. I simply...could not bear it." He kissed me tenderly. In his kiss I felt every bit of the love I knew he had for me. He was truly here. I was loved. The most wonderful man to ever live had given his love to me and we would be together for thousands of years. It was only one kiss, but it was all I needed. I knew I was safe in his arms. He pulled me in closer against himself and smiled warmly.

"I'm not going anywhere."

**Author's Note:**

> What's this? A completely unironic "it was all a dream" ending?
> 
> Yes. Yes it was.


End file.
